Records related to the circulation of library materials which contain the names or other personally identifying details regarding the users of the State Library or any local library which is established or maintained under any law of the Commonwealth or the library of any university, college or educational institution chartered by the Commonwealth or the library of any public school or branch reading room, deposit station or agency operated in connection therewith, shall be confidential and shall not be made available to anyone except by a court order in a criminal proceeding.

Unfortunately for parents and guardians, legal council overwhelming indicates that Act 90 applies equally to library borrowers of all ages, thus protecting the privacy of children’s borrowing records. The law was deemed applicable to parents and children to protect some juveniles from parental abuse that may ensue from their selection of library materials. Act 90 also protects all borrowers from disclosure of their library records without due process of law.

The library system realizes that under some circumstances this presents a roadblock for parents simply trying to return children’s materials on time. We encourage parents to take an active role in their children’s book selection by visiting the library with them and sharing their reading experiences.

• A borrower may request a list of the books that are checked out on his/her card or set up a PIN in the circulation system enabling him/her to check his/her personal borrowing record.
• Some parents elect to wait until a child is mature enough to oversee his/her own borrowing habits before signing for a personal card.

We apologize for any inconvenience this policy may cause, but must abide by the law for the protection of all juveniles.

Approved by FCLS Board July 15, 2003

A printable version of the confidentiality statement may be obtained here.